Grave and complex terrorist situation

Editor's Note: At least 29 civilians died and more than 140 were injured in a terrorist attack at Kunming Railway Station, Yunnan province. The police found evidence linking the attack to Xinjiang extremists. Five Chinese scholars look at the attack from different angles and share their opinions. Excerpts below:

West should accept terrorism is a common enemy

Terrorism has always accompanied human civilization, but it has become especially rampant in the 21st century. After the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept 11, 2001, and the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has spread to more countries and regions. While Afghanistan, Pakistan and some other countries in North Africa or the Middle East continue suffering from organized attacks, the US, Russia, the Britain, and even China have also fallen victim to them.

The terrorist attacks have many causes, among which are national conflicts, religious confrontations, as well as ethnic hatred, but they share the same means to an end: attacking innocent people for political purposes. That makes them the common enemy of all who pursue a peaceful, happy life.

However, different voices have emerged in the face of this common enemy. Differences in values, combined with a deep-rooted Cold War mentality have prompted some Western media and politicians to view terrorist attacks that happen outside their territory through colored lenses. Whenever any attack happens in China or Russia, they always tend to link the attacks with government policies.

Even when reporting the Kunming attack, the Washington Post used “oppression,” “authoritarian” and “discrimination” to describe the Chinese government, while ignoring that victims of the cold-blooded terrorists that included women, children and senior citizens. Western politicians and media have not learned any lesson from the terrorist attacks that happened with their connivance.

China has made the right move by responding immediately to the incident and vowing to let those responsible receive their deserved penalty. Only by rooting out terrorism can we prevent similar tragedies from happening again, as well as comfort those who suffer from the attacks. It should be the common purpose of all nations to crackdown on terrorism and we hope the West will drop their double standards so as to better protect people around the world.

Shi Lan, a researcher with the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences